Yesterday I ended the day (almost ended the day!) with one of THOSE discussions.
AS we were on our way to bed, I was asked how much I'd gone done today. Well, we went to school, sorted out books for T-boy, spent 3 hours at the park, I read a lot, I'd made 5 lunches, dinner for 4, done the washing, etc. All the stuff Mummy has to do....
Last week I cleared the landing. I started with the bookshelves and cleared them and then dismantled them. It looked good up there. This week, because JB came round for tea, I'd had to "stash and dash" as Flylady calls it, and shove stuff up onto the landing. "I was loving the landing." says J as we head to bed. "Not so much now."
Hmmmm. Half the reason so much stuff is *on* the landing is because JB came round and J's modelling stuff has to go somewhere that *isn't* the dining room table if we want to eat. I want to eat at the table. It's much better for chlildren than in front of the tv like an animal. (Occaisional tv dinners are fabulous, don't get me wrong, but not for every day)
The rest of the stuff is there because it goes back in the AC's tiny room.
The thing is, we have a massive room at the front of the house, that goes the width of the house, and it's an Edwardian semi-detatched, so it's fairly large. Then we have a middlesized room, that is the width of the house, less the landing and the stairs. Then we have a small room that is built over the kitchen and is little. A single bed goes along one of the walls, and touches the wall at both ends, that kind of size. It was ideal when the AC was 3 when we moved in.
The plan has always been that eventually, AC will go into our room, and we will go into the big room at the front. Rich and I had planned on turning the little room into a nursery. I was planning on it being a workspace. J is planning on it being T-boys room. Regardless of what it eventually *will* become, I have to clear the big room first.
After the accident (and has anyone else noticed I always call it the accident and rarely, unless I make myself, after Rich died?) I used to just shove stuff in the big room if I didn't want to think about where it went, if I didn't want to look at it, if...... well, you get the idea. I abandoned that room to the Fates. (And the garden. Ok, pretty much everywhere, but I've reclaimed bits!)
J wants more space. He sees the biggest problem as the books. Oh, the books, says he. You have an iPad now, get them on there! But they aren't all on there, and whilst I love the iPaddington, as it is referred to in our house, it is not a book. It is not a C1890 copy of Bunyan's Pilgrims progress, with plates in it. It is not a complete set of Dickens that Nanna gave me. To be fair to him, he is not suggesting that I get rid of those. But I hang on to books. I covet them and keep them. Certain ones I reread until the covers fall off, and then I buy newer ones.
However, I see his point and it is well made.
But how am I to do this, and keep the landing clear, and do the myriad of other things that have to be done? I am back to school in a week, report writing season is just around the corner, I have two children here, one of which isn't always here and so is still settling into the rules here and requires high level maintainance, unlike the AC who can entertain himself and will help most obligingly when asked, and the need to keep downstairs tidy whilst I sort out upstairs. This isn't a winge, more of a list of practical considerations!
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how I do it, the point is, I have to. We have to move on, we have to move into that room. It's a lovely room and will be gorgeous. I have a list of things to do today, and the Landing is on there.
I'd like for him to be able to say "I *am* loving the landing...."
